Nissan Murano Diesel – finally

The Nissan Murano is to get a diesel option from September

The Nissan Murano is the Qashqai’s big brother, just as the soon to arrive Nissan Juke is the baby. But the Murano often tends to get overlooked because it seems like it doesn’t really belong in Europe. It feels – and looks – a bit like a Crossover designed for the US with its blingy looks and petrol only V6 (from the old 350Z). But having recently polished up the Qashqai for 2010 and revealed the Juke, Nissan are making the Murano much more appealing to European buyers by adding a diesel engine option.

What is a bit surprising is they’re using the 2.5 litre dCi 4-pot instead of the new V6 diesel in the Pathfinder and Navara (and in the yet-to-arrive Infiniti diesels). Still, they must have their reasons. The new oil-burner for the Murano has had a tweak or two, including a higher pressure direct injection system and a redesigned cylinder head. It produces 190bhp and 332lb/ft of torque and comes attached to Nissan’s 6-speed auto and the ALL MODE 4×4-i system.

The diesel-engined Murano is due to go on sale in September, but Nissan has decided not to tell us how much for. Nor have they come up with any performance or fuel consumption figures. But it’s probably fair to say you will see low-mid 30s from the diesel instead of the low-mid 20s you get from the V6 petrol. And although the Murano isn’t the smallest crossover out there, performance should be adequate.

The Nissan Murano is a better than half-decent crossover, and the new diesel should certainly give European sales a boost.

By Cars UK